Who is Diego Leon? Career Stats, Analysis & Playing Style

Diego Leon has created history without even stepping foot in England. The 17-year-old left-back will become the first ever Pragauayan to represent Manchester United in the club’s history when he links up with the club. The transfer was confirmed by the famous transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on his X account. Leon is touted as one of the most exciting prospects from South America.

Leon becomes the first signing of Ruben Amorim’s era. Manchester United’s troubles at left-back are well documented and the manager wants to stamp his impression on the squad. Diego Leon is everything Amorim wants in his left-back. The transfer announced so early in the season will generate interest with every passing day.

Manchester United fans would be eager to find out more about their new signing. So look no further and jump in to know more about the teenage left-back.

Diego Leon Bio

Diego Leon’s Net Worth and Salary

Diego Leon’s current contract details are unknown. He has joined Porteno as a youngster and would be earning very little weekly wage. At this point in time, wages wouldn’t matter to him.

But as a move to Manchester United is confirmed, the focus will turn to wages. The English club are notoriously known for overpaying new signings. However, under the INEOS regime, they are acting prudently in the transfer market. Also, given that Leon will be linking up with under-21s soon, we can expect him to earn a modest weekly wage.

He will pocket a healthy signing bonus and wages on par with other youth players of Manchester United. The weekly wage might be around £5,000.

Also Read: Who is Amir Ibragimov: Man United Career Stats, Analysis & Playing Style

Diego Leon Family

Diego Leon was born in the remote town of Yguazu to Brigida Blanco. The area is some 300 km away from the capital of Asuncion.

ESPN’s Paraguayan football expert speaking to Transfermarkt said “As someone coming from a remote place  and growing up in difficult circumstances, León has proven to be someone who can surpass that adversity to get to where he’s been.”

With full trust in his talents, his family decided to move to the capital for the sake of his future. Once Leon joined the academy of Cerro Porteno, the rest transpired very quickly owing to his genius on the field.

Diego Leon Girlfriend

Diego Leon is a serious young lad with a hunger to prove himself on the pitch. He knows that he has immense potential and he must keep his head down to realise it. This might have kept him away from chasing the glamour in his native Paraguay. Though the age of consent in the South American country is only 14, Leon has no available record of his love life.

However, a move to the British Isles awaits and especially given he will be settling in Manchester, the noise will become tenfold. He has to familiarise himself with new people and surroundings quickly. Given the immense media scrutiny on him, the youngster’s every move off the field will be tracked. Leon might soon fall head over heels for someone in Manchester.

Diego Leon Club Career Stats

Leon at 17 years is built very strongly. At 5’11 he might be shorter than central defenders but is of the standard height for a fullback. He is blessed with good pace and great bursts that help him get away from the press. These have earned him a very good reputation at club level.

Leon joined Cerro Porteno after impressing them in a trial. The Asuncion-based club took him in at 14 and have always monitored his progress. After a couple of seasons with the sub-junior squads, he was deemed fit to join the senior squad.

Diego Leon made his debut this season on August 2^nd and had a debut to remember. He scored his first goal with his head and it turned out to be a winner against Ameliano. Having already generated waves on his debut, he went on to cement his place in the starting lineup with a string of good performances.

Leon scored his second goal for the club with a well-taken left-footed finish against Caballero in a 2-1 defeat. Despite his team losing form, Leon continued to impress everyone.

The Paraguayan club already started receiving enquiries from abroad for his services. Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid were all lining up to sign him. But it was the Red Devils who won the race to sign him. United signed him initially on a £3.2 million deal and it could easily rise to £6 million. However, the left-back will only join them in the summer of 2025 as an 18-year-old subject to a work permit.

Diego Leon International Career

Leon is described as a promising sign for Paraguayan football. The South American nation is not world-renowned for exporting talent but recently they have become an unlikely source for the world market.

They have developed a string of talented youngsters and Leon is one of them. With Leon already making the jump abroad a national call-up feels only inevitable. Still only 17, but a first cap should be on the cards for him very soon. He can make the spot his own and can represent them for over a decade.

Diego Leon-Manchester United

Ruben Amorim inherited a fractured squad from his predecessor at United. Especially the options at left-back are very limited. Luke Shaw is perennially injured and Tyrell Malacia’s availability is mysterious. The Portuguese manager is having to make do with makeshift wing-backs Diogo Dalot and Nouassir Mazraoui on the left.

Hence his priority is to sign a promising youngster who could lock up the sport in the future. Besides Amorim’s wing-backs need to possess a few specific qualities. Leon is primarily left-footed and is aggressive in duels. His physicality gives him an edge against most wingers and has the pace to win a foot race against pacy wingers.

Combined with these, he is extremely comfortable on the ball. Leon’s attacking mindset and agile dribbling are something that Amorim would appreciate. He constantly looks to stretch the opposition’s defence by making overlapping runs and delivering dangerous crosses. He has an eye for the goal as well as he takes up dangerous positions in the box.

Well, it would be unfair to only speak about his positives while ignoring the shortcomings. Leon by no means is a finished article. There are a lot of unpolished edges in his game like defensive positioning and aggression costing his team. Discipline is also an issue that Amorim will have to work on.

Another challenging factor would be settling into a new continent altogether. Not many players have moved from Paraguay to England directly. Julio Enciso of Brighton is a rare example. Leon will surely have a colleague in him to adjust to life in a new and colder climate.

As he joins the squad in 2025, we can expect Leon to join the under-21s first. A full pre-season is there to check his availability for the senior squad. But we can also expect a stern competition from fellow left-back Harry Amass. Amass was signed from Watford recently and is highly rated as well. This means there are two potential youngsters vying for one spot. He knows his competition and has to raise his standard accordingly.

Diego Leon, already very highly regarded in the South American circles might become the next big thing at Manchester United. That is the hope from the officials at Old Trafford for a 17-year-old who plays with maturity way beyond his years.